Seeing School Through Teachers’ Eyes

In high school, complaints from students about the latest absurd homework assignment or the struggle to find help or reliable information in a complex school system are always in abundance.

However, students are often not aware that teachers face the same burdens and obstacles that students experience on a daily basis.

From grading papers, to dealing with administration requirements and district regulations, to handling disrespectful students, to keeping their classes balanced, to getting through the curriculum, and finally to enjoying their jobs, teachers face immense pressures, both personally and professionally.

Students often see the strict side of teachers: “Why didn’t you turn your homework in?” “Why are you always late?” “Why won’t you engage in my class?”

However, what students don’t see is that these questions derive from a teacher’s desire to see every student succeed despite how often students say, “Mr. ______ just doesn’t like me,” or “Ms.______ wants to see me fail.”

A Santa Fe High teacher whom we will refer to as Ms. X states, “There are a lot of challenges [to being a teacher] but I think the hardest one is dealing with students who really don’t want to be here and for whom there are no consequences — either at school or from parents at home — that are strong enough to compel them to change their attitude. It’s just hard to look out at those faces on a daily basis.”

But the effects of a lack of support from home aren’t the only challenges teachers face. Respect is essential to a healthy classroom environment.

English teacher Ms. Schenk states, “In order for a teacher to be effective, the teacher has to earn the respect of his or her students, and the respect has to be mutual. Students will work much harder for a teacher whom they trust and respect, so I strive to earn my students’ respect. I have to remind myself that even though I can’t make everybody happy, I can continue to try.”

The difficulties don’t only occur on a professional level, however. Mr. Kavanagh, who teaches English, creative writing and AVID, explains that he finds it challenging to create balance in his life, “simultaneously raising a family of my own and practicing the guitar enough,” in addition to “remembering to be my own greatest supporter, checking my ego at the door, etc.”

Mr. Eadie agrees: “Balancing family life and teaching” is the one of the hardest challenges, he said. “It’s very hard to separate teaching from family.”

How does it affect teachers knowing that they contribute to the success of students and, to some extent, to the raising of a new generation? Dance teacher Ms. Scheer says, “The feeling that comes from this is why I come back to work every day, every new year.”

Ms. Schenk says, “I do not work in the field of education to collect a paycheck. I love learning. I love literature. I love my students, and I do all I can to support them and help them achieve success in the classroom and beyond. The responsibilities I have as a teacher are often overwhelming, but overall, I find the work fulfilling and meaningful.”

However, Ms. Guerin states that one of her biggest challenges is “trying to figure out how to share my own conviction that what we are learning and discussing in class can really matter outside of school.”

According to the American School Counselor Association, the school curriculum has to find equilibrium between teaching the content of a specific course and teaching non-cognitive factors. Eric Sparks, a contributor to the ASCA, states, “Non-cognitive factors include characteristics such as persistence, goal-setting, self-discipline, work habits, learning strategies, homework completion and study skills.”

But the challenges continue. Over the years, the mindsets of high school students have changed.

Ms. X says, “I’ve taught for 30 years. To say that kids have changed is a huge understatement. We’ve been seeing the result of those students who were brought up in the ‘trophy for participation’ era. I’ve had more and more students use the phrase, ‘but I deserve…’ either about a grade or an opportunity.”

In response to how students have changed, teachers have had to adapt their teaching styles.

Ms. X states, “I really praise [students] a lot now because I see that if they don’t get that, they just stop working. If I give them a little [encouragement], they take that and keep pushing. I didn’t have to do that when I started teaching in the mid-1980s. Positive reinforcement, yes. Compliments, not as much.”

Changing times and changing students aren’t the only obstacles teachers face. When a student comes to class half asleep, the teacher notices; imagine a teacher looking out at his or her classroom and seeing glazed-over eyes and zombie-like expressions that make them think the students want to be anywhere but in that classroom. Once students drag themselves to class, the teacher faces the next hurdle of getting them to engage in the material.

When asked why a student might have a hard time engaging in class, Mr. Kavanagh replies, “Being forgotten about, mostly. I was a tragically classic ‘C-‘ student in high school because, well, I was allowed to be.”

Teachers aim to have every student engage in class. However, when students feel like they aren’t being noticed, and teachers think that those students just doesn’t respect their class, conflict arises.

Ms. X elaborates: “I’ve done better over the years about making my expectations clear and the consequences for not meeting those even clearer. That has eliminated a good part of the engagement problem, and in my kind of class it’s either you’re engaged or you’re not doing the class at all. There’s no middle ground, really. They kind of have to do it. I always talk to students at length in August about how engagement isn’t an ideal in this class — it’s the norm. And they see it right away. I talk a lot to those who are less engaged at first. Then sometimes I let them ‘sink’ for a while to show them the difference.”

Advancements in technology also contribute to the difficulty of a student engaging in class.

Ms. Schenk says, “The main issue I have seen change throughout the years is cellphone use in the classroom. More and more, students have a great deal of difficulty leaving their phones off and out of sight during class time. This has a major effect on classroom climate and culture.”

Unfortunately, the challenges don’t stop in the classroom. Requirements, guidelines and rules are imposed on teachers from the school level administration to the district level to the state level to the federal level. Luckily, the teachers at Santa Fe High seem to be in agreement that the administration at SFHS has done a great job of supporting teachers’ ambitions and direction in the classroom…as long as they follow the rules.

When asked what needs to be changed about how schools are run, the teachers were again in agreement: There needs to be more teachers, and specifically more competent teachers.
When looking at high school, much of the attention is focused on the emotions of students and how difficult the teen years are, without giving any attention to the emotions of teachers. After four years, students have graduated (hopefully), but teachers are still interrupting mid-day snoozes of incoming classes, morphing their lesson plans to fit the newest guidelines and requirements, and reminding themselves that they are contributing to the success of a new generation.

So, fellow students: Show some appreciation for your teachers, not only on “Teacher Appreciation Day,” but every day!